Welcome!

As you can probably tell, I love counted cross stitch! Like most stitchers, I have a huge collection of purchased patterns, but I take great delight in finding new free charts. I have started this blog as a "Pay It Forward" thank you to all the generous stitchers who have provided free cross stitch charts throughout the years, from all around the world. I enjoy designing simple charts as much as I like stitching, so I will post free charts I have designed here for all to access. I hope you will enjoy the charts as much as I have enjoyed designing them and as much as I have delighted in the charts others have done!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Ahhhh, a mystery....... It started with an email from a stitching friend wanting my mailing address....hmmm...... yes, I trust this person so I think that will be okay......I'm very curious.....she says I will just have to be curious, she is dropping an envelope in the mail for me......OK, she is probably sending me a card or a note, yes, I'm sure that is what it is......I'll just wait and see....... a few days go by......... and then I spy this in the mail......

I take a closer look.....yes, it's for me........doesn't look like a card or a note.......hmmm....

I wonder what it could be.....?

Let's see what's inside.......yes, there is a card..... and something else.......

Barbie, even though I have thanked you already, it wasn't enough - I had to thank you publicly, as well. I can not believe the time and effort you put into this wonderful gift, all stitched over one, no less! I will cherish it always - THANK YOU!!!!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Brenda K from England has kindly shared photos of her finished scissors case and fob set! I just love how it turned out and am so pleased that she sent the photos - it is really nice to see the finished projects. Please visit her Cyberstitchers' Gallery for more of her beautiful finishes - and there are many to see! She is amazing! Thank you, so much, Brenda, for stitching the set and sharing your photos!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

I'm not crazy about expensive "limited edition" kits and designs. I don't like the pressure it brings on the buyer to hurry up and get something "right now" when it may cause a financial hardship on them or a big disappointment if they decide they really can't afford to splurge. This is not the same as "shop exclusives" which may only be available from one source but are available for a long time, giving plenty of opportunity to obtain it. There are some gorgeous designs that have appeared as limited edition kits that I would like to have had but just couldn't afford when they were available so I just missed out. Recently, Just Nan came out with the limited edition "Gilded Dragonfly" kit which was limited to 1000 kits. Wow, think how many stitchers there are that would have loved to have had that beautiful kit, but only 1000....? So I asked myself, "What is it about this design that I really like? Is it the flowers? No, not really. Is it the specialty stitches? No, not really. Is it the dragonfly? Hmm, yes, I really like the beautiful dragonfly charm (which I was able to find online here). But what is it I like the most about it? THE COLORS!!! I love the colors and the fact that it is a scissor case and fob set!!! So I decided to design my own set using the features I liked the most - similar colors and a scissors case finish with a dragonfly of some kind. It had to be an original design - I wanted to be sure it would be completely different than Nan's design so there would be no question of copyright infringement. I hope I have achieved that. The first step was to design a suitable dragonfly - I originally called the design the "Poor Stitcher's Dragonfly Scissor Pocket" because it was designed to be stitched with DMC instead of silks and had a stitched dragonfly instead of an embellishment one. I decided on the new name because a stitcher wouldn't need to feel guilty about the cost of stitching this one! I know you will recognize the chart as being the same as the Hummingbird Scissors Pocket and Fob. That's because although I designed the Dragonfly Pocket first, I actually like hummingbirds better so I adapted the design and decided to stitch it that way instead. "Guiltless" Dragonfly comes in two color schemes - a light and a darker one - depending on the fabric you choose to use. The opalescent fabric I like to use needs the darker color scheme to show up on it but I love the lighter color one which was actually the original design choice. A gold dragonfly or a silver one, metallic blue or metallic green, with French knots or with beads - lots of opportunity here to customize the design and make each one unique. I'm including some more fob variations that will match both the Dragonfly and the Hummingbird set. Happy stitching!!

Thanks to the generosity of the lovely Olga, I can post a picture of the Hummingbird Scissors Pocket and Fob completely assembled. I am absolutely amazed at how quickly and beautifully Olga stitched and assembled this piece! She sent me the photos on September 1 and I didn't even post the chart until August 23! I'm very impressed! (I am probably the slowest stitcher in the world!) I'm so glad she gave me permission to share her photos here because my own piece is still in pieces....not that I'm surprised about that! Olga has only been blogging a short time but her blog is already one you don't want to miss - be sure to visit and bookmark it because you will definitely want to return again and again. Please visit her blog here for more pictures of the Hummingbird Scissor Pocket and Fob set, and other great finishes. Thanks again, Olga for stitching my chart and for sharing the photos!